a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the exterior racks and carriers for motor vehicles, and, more particularly to a hitch-mounted carrier assembly which swings downwardly to provide clearance for lift gate or loading/unloading while at the same time maintaining the load which is supported thereby in an upright orientation.
b. Related Art
Many vehicles, especially pick-up trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles, are fitted with receiver hitch assemblies for towing trailers. When not being used for towing, however, the receiver socket (typically, a 2-inch by 2-inch square tube) provides a strong and convenient attachment fitting for mounting a variety of accessories and carriers at the rear of the vehicle.
For example, the receiver socket is often used to support a bicycle rack, so as to avoid the need to carry the bicycles inside or on top of the vehicle. When mounted to a van, station wagon or sport utility vehicle, however, the height of the bicycles may cause this to interfere with the operation of the vehicle""s lift gate; in other words, with the bottom of the bicycle supported at bumper level and with the bicycle positioned reasonably close behind the vehicle, the handlebars and seat will ordinarily be in the way of the lift gate opening and closing.
Another problem associated with many hitch-mounted racks is the need for the operator to lift the bicycle or other load a considerable distance in order to place it on the rack. However, the bicycle must be supported in an elevated position during transport, or else its wheels will protrude below the bumper and be exposed to damage.
Some prior attempts have been made at solving these problems using a xe2x80x9cswing awayxe2x80x9d mechanism. In these devices, the top of the rack pivots outwardly from the vehicle in order to provide the necessary clearance for the lift gate. However, a serious problem arises when the load does not maintain its upright orientation as the rack pivots outwardly. This causes the bicycles or other load to twist in the rack and may result in damage, especially if several bikes are being carried together. Furthermore, tilting of the rack makes it very difficult or impossible to load the bicycles onto the carrier when it is in its lowered position, so that in most instances the user can only load/unload the carrier when it is in its upright, stowed configuration.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,822 (Allsop et al.) represents an attempt to alleviate these problems by keeping the upper support of the rack level as the rack is pivoted away from the rear of the vehicle. However, this device relics on a cumbersome arrangement of parallel, spaced-apart supports. As a result, the assembly not only requires excessive material and labor to manufacture, but it is also untidy in appearance and difficult to clean. Moreover, the spaced-apart supports occupy a significant amount of space at the rear of the vehicle, which could otherwise be used to carry additional bicycles or other cargo.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a hitch-mounted carrier for bicycles or other cargo which pivots outwardly and downwardly from the vehicle for loading/unloading and to provide clearance for the vehicle lift gate, while at the same time maintaining the cargo in an upright orientation. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a carrier which is positive and effective in its action, and which has a neat and easy to clean exterior configuration. Still further, there exists a need for such a carrier in which the mechanism occupies a minimum of space at the rear of the vehicle, to as to maximize the room which is available for carrying cargo. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus which safe to operate, and which is durable and long wearing in use.
The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and is a pivotable carrier assembly in which the rack holds the cargo upright as the assembly pivots outwardly to provide clearance for a vehicle lift gate or for loading/unloading the carrier.
Broadly, the carrier assembly comprises a lower support for mounting to a vehicle hitch, an upright support having a lower end which is pivotably mounted to the lower support, a rack head which is pivotably mounted to an upper end of the upright support, and a linkage for rotating the head on the upright support in response to the upright support being pivoted from a stowed position to a deployed position, so as to maintain a predetermined angular relationship between the rack head and the lower support of the assembly,
The linkage may comprise upper and lower crank links, the upper link being fixedly mounted to the rack member and rotatably mounted to the upright support and the lower link being fixedly mounted to the lower support and rotatably mounted to the upright support, and a connector member which is mounted to the two outer ends of the upper and lower crank links, so that in response to the upright support being pivoted relative to the lower support, the linkage cooperates so as to rotate the rack head on the upright support so as to maintain the predetermined angular relationship between the rack head and the lower support of the assembly.
The upper and lower crank links may be of approximate equal length and may extend generally parallel to one another. The connector member mounted to the ends of the links may be substantially rigid bar.
The rack head may comprise a generally horizontal rack portion extending rearwardly from head for supporting an article of cargo thereon. For example, the rack portion may be configured to support a plurality of bicycles or skis thereon.
The lower support of the assembly may comprise a Generally horizontal tongue or bar for insertion into a standard receiver hitch.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description with reference to the associated drawings.